How was serial Seattle arsonist Paul Keller caught?

Q: I remember Paul Keller terrorized Seattle in the 1990s with a series of arsons. The recent Greenwood fires made me think of him.

How was he caught?

A: First, here’s background on Paul Kenneth Keller for those who aren’t familiar with him.

During late 1992 and early 1993, Keller set 76 fires that killed three people and caused more than $30 million in property damage – and he’s still suspected in others from that time period. Keller is responsible for one of the most extensive arson sprees in American history.

Serial arsonist Paul Keller in 1993 (P-I file)

Keller’s six-month spree had Seattle on edge and spanned four counties. The three fatalities came when he burned the Four Freedoms Retirement Home in the Bitter Lake neighborhood.

Keller didn’t bring flammables or fuel; he lit whatever burnable material was there and usually set the fires outside buildings, on exterior walls or in carports. He often set fires in the early morning hours, after the bars closed. Investigators say he liked to see firefighters struggle to deal with several at a time.

Fire officials described him as a smooth, pathological liar, and said they believed he started setting fires at age 8 or 9. Keller initially maintained that his fires never hurt or killed anyone — until that was proved a lie.

A task force of investigators from 27 different local, state and federal agencies was formed exclusively to find him. Investigators put together a profile.

And Keller’s dad recognized it.

George Keller told the task force details about his son, and the younger Keller was arrested eight days later.

In August 1993, Keller received a $25,000 reward being offered for his son’s capture – and immediately gave it to the pastor of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, which was burned in one of the arsons. The pastor said the donation would be used to fund healing ministries in the Seattle area.

Paul Keller, who admitted to 76 fires, was convicted of more than 30 cases and is serving a 99-year prison term.

In a 2007 letter to the P-I, he criticized the media, saying there “have been so many distortions, mischaracterizations, and innuendos over the past 14 years.”